Before practice Monday, Kliff Kingsbury acknowledged that with J.J. Watt taking part in his first work of training camp, the coaches would likely have to pull the veteran defensive lineman off the field at some point.
The head coach was right, because as Watt said with a smile afterward, "Things happen. Juices get flowing and you just start to play football."
Individual drills weren't enough for Watt, because it had been a long and very cautious road to get back in the first place. The team removed Watt from the Physically Unable To Perform list after he had tweaked a hamstring in the team's conditioning test July 27, and even Watt admitted had it been in the regular season, he could've returned sooner.
The wait just made it a little easier – and safer – to come to practice just a little harder on Monday.
"Someone (in the locker room) asked me how it felt," Watt said. "You're like a dog chasing a tennis ball. Wherever it bounces, you want to get it, you are excited to be out there, and it doesn't matter if you are supposed to be where it bounces, and that's what it felt like."
The Cardinals are slowly getting back their defensive linemen. Watt, Corey Peters and Zach Allen have returned to work. Jordan Phillips (injury and the Covid list) and Rashard Lawrence (injury) remain sidelined.
Watt's lengthy absence was all but predicted once the PUP list was used, and he has been active in other areas. His experience with Vance Joseph in Houston under Wade Phillips' similar defense makes that part of the learning curve flat, and he has been participating in meetings as well as talking through scenarios and questions with teammates.
"ball" - Google News
August 24, 2021 at 07:40AM
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JJ Watt Comes Off PUP 'Like A Dog Chasing A Tennis Ball' - AZCardinals.com
"ball" - Google News
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